After grade 6 at Northlea where we bussed to and fro for the rest of the year, we went to a neighbourhood where I met Mr. Parks and Cathy. All the girls, or at least all that I remember, swooned in the presence of Mr. Parks, me included. I couldn’t tell you what he looked like, but imagine a group of prepubescent girls being taught by Hollywood good looks and you’ll get the picture. And that, readers is the sum total of what I remember of Grade 7 with the exception of Cathy.
Cathy was a classmate that for some reason, forgotten by me, took an immediate dislike to me. Not sure why, but a little voice in my head is saying jealousy, not sure where that came from.
Somehow, after school one day, I found myself in the hydro field facing off against Cathy. She had challenged/threatened to battle or beat me up on my way home. I don’t remember if I fought back or not, but something must have happened to Cathy’s attitude about me because all of a sudden the hostility turned to friendship. So from then on I hung out with Cathy who was a scrapper. She had matured more quickly than the rest of us and had a boyfriend. We were walking to the strip mall one day, the three of us when I was informed that I was homely by the boyfriend.
It’s interesting that that’s the thing that stuck with me through the years, I was homely, which I internalized as ugly.
Seven years later while working at Access TV in Calgary the receptionist was mystified by the fact that I wasn’t aware that every time I walked the halls for any reason I was ogled. I thought she was making it up. She challenged me to be more aware. I still didn’t believe her. Sort of the same thing when I found out I was smart at 32. Really, huh!?!?!